Bengaluru, Dec. 27 -- Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar took a sharp jibe at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday over his criticism of the recent demolition drive in Bengaluru, asserting that "senior leaders should not interfere without knowing the facts on the ground."

Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, Shivakumar described Vijayan's remarks as "unfortunate" and said leaders from outside the state must first understand Bengaluru's realities before making political comments. The Deputy CM maintained that the action was aimed at protecting public land and not targeted at any community.

Shivakumar said the area in question was an encroached waste dumpsite and alleged that land mafia interests were behind attemp...